Scandal
by cleotheo
Summary: When Scorpius Malfoy, who was born and raised in France, signs for an English Quidditch team, he ends up having a liaison with an older witch. However, the liaison has unexpected consequences and the engulfing scandal doesn't just threaten his future, but it threatens to destroy an old friendship of his mother's. Short six part reunion style story.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Welcome to my new short story – Scandal. Scandal has 6 chapters and updates will be on Monday and Thursday. I hope you all enjoy Scandal, and hopefully by the end of the story I'll have some news on my next longer story to be published.**

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Despite having two British parents, who had both grown up and attended school in England, eighteen year old Scorpius Malfoy had never lived in the country of his origin. He'd been born and raised in France, as had his younger sister, Cassiopeia. Of course he'd visited England as his paternal grandparents still lived in Wiltshire, but he'd never actually lived in what was to him, a foreign country. To be honest it had never even crossed his mind, until he'd been offered an opportunity of a lifetime.

In school Scorpius had achieved top grades and had known that he could pretty much do whatever he wanted after leaving school. Both of his parents had businesses that he could have joined if he'd desired, and he would even have had the resources to start his own business. Then of course he could have applied for a job anywhere that appealed to him. But despite all of these options, Scorpius hadn't known what he wanted to do with his life. The only thing he had known was that he didn't want to rush into doing something only to realise at a later date it wasn't what he wanted to do.

And then everything had changed when Beauxbatons had participated in a charity quidditch event and Scorpius was on one of the teams. Scorpius had always known he was a talented quidditch player, and his love for the game helped him to be the best he could be. But he'd never considered playing the game for a living. For him, it had always just been a pastime he happened to love. However, a scout from one of the English quidditch teams had been at the charity event and he'd offered Scorpius a trial with the team he scouted for – The Tutshill Tornadoes.

After talking things through with his father, who had been a Tornadoes fan in his youth, Scorpius had decided to attend the trial. Not that he'd expected anything to come of it, but it had been too good an opportunity to pass up. Only the trial had gone better than Scorpius could ever have dreamed and he'd been offered a very impressive deal to sign for The Tornadoes on a three year contract.

The offer was amazing for Scorpius, and even though he'd never thought about playing quidditch professionally, now he had the chance, he hadn't wanted to waste it. His parents had also encouraged him to take such a brilliant opportunity, which was why he was currently in England for five days to sign the contracts and get everything ready for his move to England in a few weeks time.

To be honest, it was the moving that was the only downside to the offer, and it had been the only thing that had given Scorpius pause for thought. On his visits to England, he'd come to love the country, but France was his home and he knew he would miss it terribly. And not just that, he would miss his family. He was lucky enough to have parents he genuinely got along with, and he knew he would miss them both an awful lot. And he would even miss his little sister, even if Cassie did get on his nerves sometimes.

Although he was also slightly nervous about the press reaction to his move. He'd never had to deal with the press before, but he knew it was something both his parents had been forced to deal with before they'd left England. In fact, press intrusion was part of the reason they each left England over twenty years earlier.

Scorpius knew all about his parents past, and their differing parts in the war that had almost torn Wizarding Britain apart. His father, Draco, had never hidden his past from either of his children and he'd always been brutally honest about faded The Dark Mark that still marred his pale forearm. Scorpius knew how his father had been forced to serve Voldemort and the abuse he'd suffered at the dark wizard's hands. He also knew how his father had been pardoned after the war, due to the extenuating circumstances of his situation.

However, Scorpius also knew that his father hadn't been left alone to try and rebuild his life. The press had constantly hounded him, eager to know how he was moving on with his life. Draco had fully admitted that while a small portion of the press vilified him, most were sympathetic to his plight. But that didn't stop them intruding on his life and making sure the entire country was aware of every move he made. Eventually the intrusion became too much for his father, and Draco had left the country to expand the Malfoy family business on the mainland of Europe. And luckily in France the name Malfoy meant very little to the wizarding public so Draco had been able to live a normal life and ensure that his children had the same.

As for his mother, Hermione Granger, she'd been on the other side of the war. While his father had been forced to do the bidding of the dark wizard, Hermione had been fighting to bring him down. Like Draco, Hermione had been open about her past and Scorpius knew she'd once been friends with the famous war hero, Harry Potter. She'd fought alongside Harry, and helped him bring down Voldemort, earning herself the title of war heroine.

But as with Draco, the press hounded Hermione, wanting to know the ins and outs of her life. Scorpius knew that his mother had been in a relationship with another friend of Harry's directly after the war, and she partly blamed the press interest in their lives for the breakdown in their relationship. It hadn't helped that her ex partner had loved the attention, unlike Hermione, so when they did break up he was happy to talk to the press and Hermione had ended up looking like the villain of the piece. And like with Draco, when the attention became too much, Hermione chose to leave the country and start a new life.

It was just luck that his mother had chosen France, as French had been the only other language she could speak, and it had been even luckier that she'd ran into Draco within a few months of moving. Scorpius thought it was pretty ironic that his parents had known each other since they were eleven, but it took them moving to another country before they even became friends, let alone anything else. If there was one thing Scorpius was sure of when he was growing up, it was that his parents belonged together, but he was well aware that had they stayed in England it likely would never have happened. Which was another reason he loved France. If his parents hadn't moved there after the war, he wouldn't be here about to embark on a career of a lifetime.

Only before Scorpius could start living his new life, he had to face the one thing he was dreading, a meeting with the press. When he'd signed his contract with The Tornadoes, they'd informed him that they'd arranged for him to see a quidditch correspondent, and he was to give them an interview. He'd been assured that the reporter was the best in the country, and that anything she wrote about him would be purely positive. The whole idea was to introduce Wizarding Britain to Scorpius and get Tornadoes fans excited about him joining the team.

In no position to refuse, Scorpius had agreed to the meeting. However, he had asked if the reporter could come to him. One of the things he'd been sorting while he'd been in the country had been accommodation, as even though they'd offered, he hadn't wanted to live with his grandparents. As such he was currently staying in a luxury suite in The Green Nymph hotel in London, which happened to be owned by his godfather, Blaise Zabini. Blaise had also offered to let him stay at the hotel for a reduced rate, but Scorpius didn't want to live at a hotel. He wanted his own place. Luckily, his grandfather had pulled a few strings and just that morning he'd signed a lease on a luxury penthouse in the heart of Wizarding London.

Thinking he had plenty of time before his meeting with the journalist, Scorpius decided to grab a shower and change into a fresh set of clothes. However, he'd barely stepped from the shower when there was a knocking at the door. Cursing the fact he was naked, he wrapped a green towel around his waist and went to open the door.

Standing outside of his room was a very attractive red-headed witch who looked to be around his mother's age. The witch in question was wearing a light summer dress which showed off her slender figure and amazingly long legs. Scorpius had always been one to appreciate an attractive woman, and the witch in front of him was definitely that. The fact she was older didn't bother him as his mother was still a very attractive woman, a fact his best friend, Alex Zabini wasn't shy in letting him know, and in fact Alex's mother, Daphne, was one of the most gorgeous witches Scorpius had ever set eyes on. And the witch in front of him had the same sort of allure about her.

"Hi," Scorpius greeted with a smile, hoping that she hadn't noticed him staring. Although to be fair, she'd also been checking him out and even now her gaze was lingering on his toned torso. "I'm Scorpius. You must be the reporter."

"Ginny," the witch answered in a husky voice as her eyes finally flicked back up to Scorpius's face and she gave him a dazzling smile. "Ginny Weasley. It's lovely to meet you, Scorpius."

"Come in and grab a drink," Scorpius said, ushering Ginny inside. "I'll just get dressed."

"There's no need to bother on my account," Ginny purred, flashing Scorpius a sinful smirk that had the blood rushing to his nether regions.

Pointing Ginny in the direction of the bar, Scorpius grabbed the clothes he'd laid out on the bed and darted into the bathroom. Suddenly he was looking forward to his meeting with the press, and he couldn't get dressed quick enough. However, even dressing quickly he was a true Malfoy and he didn't step foot outside of the bathroom until he was perfectly put together and didn't have a platinum blond hair out of place.

When he emerged from the bathroom, he found Ginny lounging on the sofa beside the window, a glass of fire-whisky in her hand and a second glass on the table obviously for him. Thanking her for pouring him a drink, he picked up the glass and went to sit on the chair opposite only to have her stop him and urge him to sit beside her.

"I won't bite," she teased.

"Shame, I might like it," he replied flirtatiously as he sat down beside her.

Ginny let out a low chuckle and shook her head slightly. "You are not quite what I expected, Scorpius."

"What did you expect?" Scorpius asked, suddenly wary as he wondered if the witch he was talking to had a history with his family.

"Considering how much you look like your father, I thought you might be a bit more like him," Ginny replied. "He was also so serious and uptight."

"You knew my father?"

"We were at school at the same time," Ginny replied with a shrug. "But I can't say I really knew him."

"He is more serious than me," Scorpius conceded. "But then again, we were raised very differently and I haven't had the experiences he's had. I love my grandfather, but he's very strict. I grew up with a lot more freedom than my father did."

"You did inherit the Malfoy looks," Ginny commented. "You're all very striking."

"Thank you," Scorpius replied with a dazzling smile. He knew he was good looking, but he never thought anything of it as he knew he'd just been lucky enough to have good genes.

"I guess we better get on with it," Ginny said as she sipped her fire-whisky, her eyes never leaving Scorpius.

"On with it?" Scorpius muttered, feeling hot under the collar as Ginny's tongue darted out to lap up a drop of liquid that was running down the side of her glass.

"The interview." With another husky laugh, Ginny set down her glass and pulled out a small silver box from her bag. "You don't mind if I record the interview, do you? I find it easier if we just talk and then I can listen to what's been said and write up an article. I prefer it to firing off questions and writing down answers."

"That's fine with me," Scorpius replied.

Setting the recorder going and placing it on the table between them, Ginny leaned over to Scorpius and placed a hand on his thigh. "So Scorpius," she began silkily. "Tell me why a lovely boy like you, with a sexy French accent wants to come and live in dreary old England. Surely you could have signed for a French team. Their league is very good."

"It is," Scorpius agreed, trying to focus on the questions, rather than Ginny's hand on his thigh, or the fact she found his accent sexy. "But the British and Irish league is the best in Europe. Besides, it was The Tornadoes who approached me. Before that, I'd never thought of playing quidditch professionally. I never thought I was good enough."

"Really, I heard you were very impressive," Ginny breathed, her hand sliding even higher up Scorpius's thigh.

"That's very flattering," Scorpius muttered, rapidly losing interest in the interview as Ginny's sultry perfume invaded his senses and he was overcome with the urge to see if her red hair was as soft as it looked.

However, like it or not, the interview continued. Scorpius quickly realised the article was going to be a puff piece as the questions Ginny asked weren't too probing. She just wanted to know about his love of quidditch, how it had began, and what he hoped to achieve in England. She then asked him a few questions about growing up in France, before inquiring about his love life with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"So, you haven't left a broken hearted girl back in France?" she teased, her hand still resting on his thigh.

"I like to think I've never broken anyone's heart," Scorpius replied with a smile. "I've dated a few girls, but I don't have a girlfriend back home."

"And what type of girls do you like?" Ginny asked. "I'm sure you're going to be a hit with the witches of Britain, so I may as well help them out and tell them what you look for in a partner."

"I like women who know what they want and aren't afraid to go after it," he replied, giving Ginny a bold stare. "I like strong, confident witches."

"And what about physically?" Ginny asked, her gaze locked onto Scorpius's piercing grey eyes.

"I do love witches who have a good pair of legs," he answered, letting his eyes drop to Ginny's long, toned legs.

"And do you prefer blondes or brunettes?"

"I'm not fussed," Scorpius replied quietly, inching his head closer to Ginny's. "But I've always wanted to try a redhead," he confessed in a low voice. "I've heard they're smoking hot."

"You've never had a redhead?" Ginny asked innocently as she pulled her wand from her bag and flicked off the recorder.

"Never," Scorpius answered.

"Funny, I've never had a Malfoy, and I hear they're something special," she returned boldly as she closed the small gap between their lips.

Never before had Scorpius been so relieved not to be a virgin. He hadn't been with many girls, but he knew his way around the female form and he had every confidence that he could show the older witch in his arms a good time. Although he suspected Ginny could teach him a trick or two, and he'd always been such a fast learner and eager to soak up new knowledge.


	2. Chapter 2

As he felt the witch in his arms begin to move, Scorpius tightened his grip around her waist. "Don't go," he whispered into her hair, which had been every bit as soft to the touch as it looked.

"I have to," Ginny returned with a chuckle. "It's been over three hours, Scorpius. This is the longest interview in history."

"But I've still got more to show you," Scorpius pouted, trailing his hand down Ginny's bare torso and delving into the warmth between her legs.

"Damn, I'd forgotten how insatiable teenagers are," she murmured, pressing back against Scorpius's firm, young body.

"It's easy when I'm with someone as sexy as you," Scorpius purred in her ear. "Are you sure you want to leave?"

"Sod it, what's half an hour more," Ginny decided, tilting her head to attach her lips to Scorpius's.

After making full use of their extra half hour, Scorpius reluctantly let Ginny go. Lying in bed, he watched her as she slipped her clothes back on and used magic to make herself look presentable. However, she couldn't disguise the post coital glow that hung around her, and Scorpius couldn't help but smirk as he recalled how they'd spent the last few hours. As predicted, Ginny had taught him a thing or two, but he knew for definite that he hadn't left her wanting and that he'd shown her a damn good time.

"It was very nice meeting you, Scorpius," Ginny said, smiling at the young wizard over her shoulder as she gathered up her recorder and grabbed her bag from the sofa.

"And it was lovely meeting you," Scorpius replied with a grin. "Will I see you again?"

"I am a quidditch correspondent, so I attend a lot of games and functions," Ginny replied. "I'm sure our paths will cross at one point."

"Then that is something to look forward to," Scorpius said.

"Yes, it is," Ginny agreed, and unable to resist the sexy young wizard lounging in bed, she walked over to him and gave him a lingering kiss as a goodbye.

"Till next time, Miss Weasley," Scorpius called with a naughty wink as Ginny headed towards the door.

Laughing lightly, Ginny blew a kiss at the blond boy before she sauntered out of the room and closed the door behind her. The second she was free from the luxury suite, she leaned her head back against the wall and took a deep breath. What had occurred between her and Scorpius had been entirely unplanned, but she couldn't bring herself to regret it. She hadn't had sex like it for years, and she'd certainly never felt as sexy as she had while she'd been with Scorpius. Her husband had certainly never made her feel like that, or at least not any time recently.

Thoughts of her husband reminded Ginny that if she didn't hurry she would be late to pick up her wedding ring, which was currently being fixed at the jewellers after it had developed a crack. With her wedding ring missing, Ginny had also left off her engagement ring, so she was now wondering if Scorpius even knew she was married. As it was she used her maiden name professionally, as she had done when she'd been playing quidditch. So given that he hadn't grown up in this country there was a good chance that Scorpius had no idea he'd just slept with the wife of Harry Potter.

"Sod it," Ginny muttered to herself as she exited the hotel, her mind running over just how complicated things could get following her tryst with Scorpius. But only if anyone found out about it. Surely as long as they both kept quiet, it could be their little secret and no-one need ever know.

Feeling happier now she'd decided to ensure that her fling with Scorpius remained under wraps, Ginny headed off to pick up her wedding ring and from the jewellers she headed home. The second she entered the house, she knew someone was at home, she just didn't know who. She and Harry had three children, and since it was the middle of the summer holidays all three of them were around. Their eldest, James, was the only one who had left school, and Ginny was trying not to think about the fact he was the same age as the wizard she'd just spent the afternoon with. Albus was a couple of years younger than James at sixteen, and Lily was younger still at fourteen.

As it turned out, it wasn't any of the children who were home, but her husband. Harry was sitting in his office, going over some paperwork. Directly after the war, Harry had trained to be an Auror and he'd been a very good one for years. He'd even worked his way up to Head Auror, but then an accident three years ago meant that he could no longer be out in the field. Not wanting to be stuck with a desk job, Harry had quit the Ministry. Even though they could afford for Harry not to work, he'd wanted something to do, and in the end his love of quidditch took over and he invested in The Tutshill Tornadoes. Then eighteen months ago, the main owner of The Tornadoes fell seriously ill and sold his share of the club to Harry. So now Harry owned The Tornadoes. Which was another reason why Ginny's fling with Scorpius couldn't get out.

"How was the interview?" Harry asked, abandoning his work and swivelling around in his chair to face his wife once he'd spotted her hovering in the doorway.

"Good," Ginny replied smoothly. "I should have enough for a nice puff piece."

"And Scorpius?" Harry asked eagerly. "What is he like?"

"He's lovely," Ginny answered, unable to stop the smile that crept over her lips at the thought of the young wizard whose bed she'd just left.

"So nothing like his father then," Harry chuckled.

"I don't either of us knew Draco well enough to judge him," Ginny said pointedly. "I think we both know that he projected a front and hid his true feelings."

"That's true," Harry conceded with a nod. "You know, I've been doing some background research on Scorpius this afternoon."

"Shouldn't you have done that before you hired him?" Ginny asked, arching an eyebrow at her husband.

"All I care about is his quidditch skills, and Oliver assures me that he's top notch," Harry answered. His old Gryffindor captain, Oliver Wood, now managed The Tornadoes for Harry, and he trusted his judgment implicitly.

"So why check him out?" Ginny asked as she and Harry left his study and headed to the front room.

"I was curious about him," Harry admitted. "Or should I say, I was curious about his father. I'm sure he visits his parents, but once he left the country, Malfoy just dropped off the map."

"I rather thought that was the idea," Ginny remarked. Shortly after Draco had left the country, Lucius Malfoy had given a scathing interview blaming the press intrusion on his son's decision to leave Wizarding Britain, and his home, behind.

"I guess so," Harry replied. "Just like Hermione."

"Hermione?"

Ginny was shocked at the mention of their former friend, as Harry rarely mentioned Hermione. There had been no falling out as such, but things had been awkward once her relationship with Ron had fallen apart. And it really hadn't helped that Ron had given a few too many interviews to the press when he was bitter about the break-up, and Hermione had ended up being cast as the villain of the break-up, when really it had simply been case of two people not being compatible. When Hermione had left the country, she'd also wanted to get away from the press, but Ginny also suspected she wanted to get away from the mess her failed relationship with Ron had created. And sadly, that included her and Harry. Not that Ginny blamed Hermione for wanting a clean break, and she hoped that wherever she was, her friend had found the happiness she deserved.

"She left to get away from the press," Harry said.

"Among other things," Ginny replied. "But what's Hermione got to do with anything?"

"Do you know where she went after leaving here?" Harry asked his wife.

"Paris," Ginny answered. Even though contact had dwindled off with Hermione, she'd still told them where she was going and Ginny could recall getting a postcard from her shortly after she'd arrived in the French capital.

"Can you really not see where I'm going with this?" Harry questioned his wife.

"Not really, no," Ginny admitted with a shrug. "One minutes you're talking about Scorpius, and the next you're onto Hermione. I don't get the connection myself."

"So I'm guessing Scorpius is more like his father," Harry remarked with a wistful smile. "Let's guess, he's pure Malfoy."

"If you mean, tall, blond and gorgeous, then yes, he's pure Malfoy," Ginny replied.

"You think the Malfoys are gorgeous?" Harry asked, getting distracted from what he was trying to tell his wife. "Even Lucius?"

"Don't get me wrong, I don't like Lucius and he scared the life out of me when I was younger, but yes, he was bloody hot," Ginny answered honestly. "As was Draco, and so is Scorpius."

"So you didn't see any of Hermione in him?" Harry pressed.

"What?" Ginny was totally confused for a second before realisation dawned on her and she felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Are you telling me Hermione is Scorpius's mother?"

"I am," Harry answered with a nod. "It came as a shock to me too," he said, noting his wife's shocked expression, but not realising the exact cause of it. "I found her name on Scorpius's birth certificate, and it didn't take much digging to find she married Malfoy years ago, and they also have a daughter."

"Well that's unexpected," Ginny muttered. "You know, I think I'm going to change before I start making dinner."

Hurrying from the front room, Ginny bolted upstairs and shut herself in her and Harry's private bathroom. Gazing at her reflection in the mirror, she felt distinctly uneasy. All the time she'd been with Scorpius, she'd been aware that he was Draco's son, but it hadn't bothered her. She'd never been friends with Draco, and to be honest she'd even harboured a slight crush on him in her youth. But it was very different now she she knew Scorpius was also Hermione's son. She couldn't believe she'd slept with the son of a witch who had once been as good as a sister to her.

As complicated as things had been before, Ginny now knew they were even more complex. It was now more important than ever that no-one found out about her dalliance with Scorpius. In Hermione's shoes, Ginny knew she wouldn't be happy, and she didn't fancy taking on Hermione. Her old friend was a formidable witch and she would rather not get on the wrong side of her.

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"You'll never guess what I've just discovered," Draco Malfoy announced, walking into his wife's study.

"What?" Hermione Malfoy asked, not looking up from the sketch she was making for her latest client. Hermione was an interior designer and she had quite the reputation in Wizarding France for having an eye for elegant beauty and being able to design a stunning room which would get everyone talking.

"Do you know who owns The Tornadoes?" Draco asked, perching on the edge of his wife's desk.

"Do I look as if I know who owns British Quidditch teams?" Hermione countered, glancing up at her husband. "I had no interest in quidditch when I lived in the country, so why would I keep up with the latest news now? And anyway, why are you digging into who owns The Tornadoes? Don't tell me you want to buy a quidditch team," she added with a groan.

"Now that is an idea," Draco mused, his grey eyes lighting up in excitement at the idea. "It could be a good side venture."

"Do you need a side venture?" Hermione questioned. "If you have a quidditch club as well as a business to run, we'd never see you. Call me crazy Draco, but I actually like spending time with my husband."

"I guess you're right, I'd rather be with you than a bunch of sweaty quidditch players."

"It's nice to know I come before sweaty quidditch players," Hermione remarked with a roll of her eyes.

"You come before everything," Draco said, bending over to brush his lips against Hermione's.

Winding her arm around Draco's neck, she pulled her husband closer and deepened the kiss. Always eager to take things further with his wife, Draco's hand slid down to her leg and up under her skirt.

"Didn't you have something to tell me?" Hermione asked, breaking the kiss and halting Draco's wandering fingers before they delved into her underwear.

"Oh, yeah," Draco recalled with a nod of his head. "I was checking out The Tornadoes and found something I didn't know."

"If you wanted to check out The Tornadoes, why didn't you do it before Scorpius signed with the team?" Hermione interrupted. "He's due back tomorrow, so by now he'll have signed the contract."

"I may have been a bit distracted at the thought of my son playing for the team I supported as a child," Draco confessed. "I never thought about checking deeper. I may not see them play any more, but I keep up to date with their results and I know they're still a damn good team."

"With a good coach," Hermione added. She didn't know much about quidditch, but when Scorpius had mentioned Oliver Wood managed the team, she knew they were in good hands as it had often been said in school that he was a great captain.

"Wood's got a good reputation," Draco conceded. "But I was more interested to find the ownership had changed hands. The old owner retired due to ill health not long ago and he sold his share in the team to a lesser investor."

"Fascinating," Hermione muttered, wondering when Draco was going to get to the point.

"The investor was Potter," Draco announced dramatically.

"Harry?" Hermione questioned with a startled gasp.

"That would be the one," Draco replied with a nod. "Our son is working for Harry Potter."

"But I thought Harry was an Auror," Hermione frowned. "It was all he'd wanted to be for years. Why would he walk away from that?"

"I guess you can ask him when you see him."

"See him? When will I see him?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"We'd already discussed going over to England to watch Scorpius's first match, and I can't imagine the owner missing the first game of the season," Draco pointed out. "Besides, with Scorpius playing on his team, our paths are bound to cross."

"But what if he doesn't want our paths to cross?" Hermione asked softly. "He might not want to see me, Draco. I did abandon him."

"You did not abandon him," Draco insisted. "You left a bad situation. I'm sure Potter understood that."

"I just didn't want to put him and Ginny in an awkward position, or rather not in a more awkward one," Hermione said. "It was hard for them being stuck in the middle of the mess Ron and I made. I couldn't expect either of them to walk away from Ron. It was just easier if I left them to get on with their lives."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," Draco assured his wife. "I know why you left England, and I'm damn glad you did. We wouldn't be together otherwise."

"It is pretty funny that we had to move across the channel to find each other," Hermione chuckled.

"I reckon it was fate," Draco said with a smile. "I think we were always meant to be together, but we needed to be free of other people to see that."

"I think you're a sappy romantic," Hermione retorted.

"Only with you," Draco replied as his hand once again slid under her skirt. "Now, I do believe I was about to go exploring."

"Did you lock the door?" Hermione asked, glancing towards her study door and hoping that Cassie didn't burst in on them.

"The house is empty, Cassie went to visit a friend," Draco informed her. "So we're all alone."

"In that case, feel free to explore all you want," Hermione purred, closing her eyes as Draco's talented fingers slid past the silk covering of her knickers.

She would worry about her inevitable reunion with Harry at a later date. Right now, she planned on making the most of the fact that she and Draco had the house to themselves and they didn't have to worry about being interrupted. And the Malfoys could have plenty of fun in an empty house with hours of uninterrupted pleasure lying in front of them.


	3. Chapter 3

After sorting everything out in Britain, Scorpius returned to France for a few weeks before making the permanent move to London. However, he wasn't alone returning to Britain, as his parents and sister accompanied him to help him settle in. They were also planning on staying long enough to watch his first match as a Tornadoes player, providing he impressed at training and made the first team straight away.

"Of course you'll make the team," Draco assured him when Scorpius expressed his doubts a week before before the first match, during a dinner party at the manor to celebrate his new career.

"You have to say that, you're my father," Scorpius countered. "But what if I'm not good enough yet?"

"Has anyone said anything like that in training?" Draco asked. They'd now been in England for six weeks, and Scorpius had been training with The Tornadoes virtually as long.

"No," Scorpius admitted. "Coach Wood is always really positive about my progress."

"Then trust him," Draco advised. "I heard enough about him in school to know he's a tough taskmaster. If he didn't think you were good enough, he would tell you."

"Are you sure?" Scorpius checked.

"Positive," Draco replied with a firm nod. "No-one is going to flatter you simply because you're a Malfoy and the new star of British quidditch."

"I can't be a star, no-one's seen me play yet," Scorpius countered, blushing slightly at his father's remarks.

"After that fluff piece Red wrote about you, people already love you," Draco chuckled.

He'd been surprised to find Ginny Weasley had written the article about his son joining The Tornadoes, but he'd been even more surprised when he'd read it and saw how positive it all was. She was practically gushing about him, and as a result, interest was already sky high in Scorpius. Draco was just hoping he could handle the press attention better than he and Hermione had managed.

"Red?" Scorpius felt a flare of jealousy at the nickname his father had given Ginny, and he wondered if anything had ever happened between them.

"I felt Weaselette was a bit disrespectful given how nice she was about you," Draco admitted with a slight shrug. "That's what we used to call her in school."

"So you weren't friends?" Scorpius checked.

"Merlin, no," Draco laughed. "Not only was she was Gryffindor, but she was a Weasley. The only time I looked her way was to hurl insults at her."

"Nice," Scorpius drawled.

"I wasn't," Draco replied quietly, his eyes clouding over as he recalled what sort of person he'd once been. Not that he was perfect now, but at least he tried to be civil to everyone and not to pre-judge people.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up the past," Scorpius apologised. Even though he knew about his father's past, he didn't know everything, but he did know enough to know that as a boy he hadn't been overly pleasant.

"You didn't, it was already here," Draco replied with a shrug. "Being back home always reminds me of the person I used to be."

"Were you very different?" Scorpius asked. "Aside from the horrid hair-gel, I mean," he teased, spotting an old picture of his father hanging on a nearby wall.

"That was a bad idea," Draco chuckled, also catching sight of the picture which had been taken just before his first year at Hogwarts.

"Why do it?" Scorpius asked. Unlike Lucius, whose hair was still long, his father kept his hair fairly short, but he'd never seen him with any sort of product in it.

"I thought it looked good," Draco admitted with a grimace. "But I was wrong. I looked like an idiot."

"Did anyone ever tell you that?"

"No-one would dare," Draco answered with a fond smile. "I was top dog amongst my friends, and to a certain extent among the other Slytherins. Some people from other houses might have talked behind my back, but I don't think even they dared to insult me to my face."

"Not even Mum?" Scorpius grinned, knowing what a firecracker his mother had been in her youth. Not that she was a shrinking violet these days, and in fact he'd always been more worried about getting into trouble with her rather than his father.

"Yeah, your Mum would have insulted me to my face," Draco confirmed with a nod of his head. "But she tended not to as she knew I could give as good as I got, and back then she had no room to talk about anyone's hair. Hers was rather wild."

"Was she pretty?" Scorpius asked, glancing over to where his mother sat talking with his grandmother, Narcissa, and Daphne Zabini.

"I'd love to say yes, but I really don't know," Draco confessed as he also turned to look at his wife, who was undoubtedly a very attractive woman. "In our early days of Hogwarts, I didn't really see a young girl when I looked at her. I couldn't see past the fact she was a muggleborn. I guess the first time I realised that she was attractive was in fourth year at The Yule Ball. She was all dressed up, and even I couldn't stop staring. If you ask Blaise, he'd say I was drooling, but you know better than that son. Malfoys don't drool."

"Of course not," Scorpius laughed. "So it that when you first took an interest in Mum?"

"Not really," Draco answered, shaking his head. "After The Yule Ball things just went back to normal, and I went back to ignoring her. But that was only a few months before he returned, and once he was back and things went wrong, I didn't have time for girls. I had more important things on my mind."

"Like survival," Scorpius whispered, well aware of how close he'd come to not existing as a few times his father had barely escaped with his life.

"Hey, I survived Scorp," Draco said, nudging his son and grinning at him. "Let's not get maudlin. We're supposed to be celebrating your success."

"I haven't had any success yet," Scorpius pointed out with a chuckle. "I have to get a game first."

"You will, and you'll be a star," Draco replied with confidence. "This is only the beginning for you, Scorp. Good things lie in wait for you, mark my words."

Scorpius hoped that his father was right, and that one of those good things included another rendezvous with Ginny, whom he hadn't seen since their afternoon together. Not that he was totally surprised that he hadn't seen her as they'd made no plans to meet, and he was guessing she was as busy as he was. But with the quidditch season about to start, he was hoping their paths would soon cross again and he was certainly hoping for a repeat of their afternoon of passion.

**0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0oo0**

A week later, Scorpius was in fact in The Tornadoes first team and about to make his debut in the British and Irish Quidditch League. As promised his parents and sister were at the match, along with his grandparents, godparents and best friend, Alex. Lucius had hired them a box and the entire family had gathered to watch Scorpius's big moment.

"I don't think I've ever been this nervous in my life," Hermione admitted to Draco as they took their seats and watched the stadium fill up.

"You've battled deadly wizards, and this makes you nervous?" Draco chuckled.

"This is our son playing professional quidditch for the first time," Hermione countered. "Are you not even the slightest bit anxious?"

"Truthfully," Draco whispered, leaning close to his wife's ear so only she could hear him. "My stomach is turning somersaults."

Feeling better now that she knew that Draco was just as nervous as she was, Hermione let her attention drift to the crowds. However, she wasn't watching the general public. Upon arrival, she'd spotted the official box belonging to The Tornadoes, and she was trying to see if she could see Harry. At first she couldn't see anyone, but then a teenage girl with long red hair appeared at the front of the box, closely followed by two older boys. The girl was the spitting image of Ginny, while the boys both looked like Harry, especially the younger one who wore glasses like her old friend, so it was easy for Hermione to guess that they were Harry's children.

"We could go and say hello if you want," Draco whispered in her ear as Harry stepped into view behind the three children. "I could easily find my way over to that part of the stadium, and if they have security, I can bribe them."

"And what if they don't take bribes?" Hermione asked with a smile.

"Then I can knock them out," Draco offered, balling his hand into a fist and showing it to his wife.

"Have you ever knocked anyone out before?" she questioned with a gentle laugh. Even when they'd been younger and he'd had a temper, he'd never been physically violent and she doubted Draco had ever been in a fist fight in his entire life.

"I do have a wand you know," Draco huffed, pretending to be insulted even though Hermione was right and he'd never actually hit anyone before.

"I don't want to miss anything if we go wandering," Hermione muttered, her attention still on The Tornadoes box, where Harry had moved out of sight.

"We can be back before the match starts," Draco promised.

At tempted as she was, Hermione decided to stay where they were in order not to miss any of Scorpius's big moment. And moments later she was glad they had stayed in the box as a message arrived asking the family to join them in the official box after the game for a celebration drink. The message had come from Harry personally, and it made sure to mention how much he was looking forward to seeing Hermione again.

"Tell Mr Potter, we'd be delighted to accept," Hermione informed the young wizard who had delivered the message. "And you can tell him, I'm also looking forward to seeing him."

"Happy now?" Draco asked as he slid his arm around his wife once the messenger had gone.

"Very," Hermione replied with a smile as she snuggled closer to Draco and sat back to enjoy the match.

Although enjoying the match was easier said than done, and once the game started and Scorpius was in the thick of the action, Hermione couldn't sit back and enjoy the show. Every time Scorpius had the quaffle her heart was in her mouth, and she was sure she made more noise than anyone whenever he scored. Beside her, Draco kept assuring her that Scorpius was having a great game and would more than proving he was worthy of his place on the first team, but that still didn't stop her nerves.

Fortunately, Draco was right and Scorpius proved himself a very fine addition to the team over the course of the match. He scored four goals, one a stunning solo effort, and assisted another eight goals. He'd slipped easily into the team and worked seamlessly with the other chasers. And best of all The Tornadoes Seeker caught the snitch and they won their very first game of the season.

"Alex, do me a favour and run down to the changing rooms to grab Scorpius when he's done," Draco ordered his godson once the match was over. "Bring him up to the official box and warn him he's not only meeting his boss, but his mother's best friend."

"Will do," Alex replied cheerily as he set off to make sure Scorpius knew where his family were and where he was expected to go after the game.

"Are you ready?" Draco asked, turning to his wife.

"Are you sure we should all come?" Narcissa questioned as Hermione confirmed she was ready to see Harry again.

"The message said the entire family," Draco replied. "And I'm sure Potter knows who rented the box. He'll expect to see you and father."

"But what about us?" Blaise questioned. "We're not family."

"Of course you are," Lucius insisted before Draco could reply.

"Father's right, Blaise," Draco agreed. "You're like the brother I never had. You're family, so you're coming. Besides, you can stop me from saying something stupid."

"I never managed that in school, but I guess I can try," Blaise laughed.

In high spirits, the group left the box they'd hired for the game and headed to he luxurious official box of The Tutshill Tornadoes, ready for a reunion which was about to take a very interesting turn once everyone was present.


	4. Chapter 4

After his first game, and first win with The Tornadoes, Scorpius was walking on air. If there had been any doubt over his decision to play quidditch professionally, which to be fair there really hadn't been, it would have all been dispelled in one go. Scorpius now knew for sure that quidditch was where his future lay, and he intended to have the best career he could possibly manage. After one game it was ambitious to even think about playing nationally, but deep down Scorpius was already harbouring idea of winning The World Cup. Although whether he would play for England or France was another question, and luckily it was one for another day - far into the future.

Emerging from the changing rooms, Scorpius was surprised to find Alex leaning on the wall outside chatting to an attractive witch. Scorpius wasn't surprised to find Alex chatting up a witch, as it was a habit of his friends to turn on the charm whenever he was in the vicinity of an attractive female. But he was surprised to find his friend waiting for him.

"Alex," he called, interrupting his friend mid flirtation.

"Scorp," Alex returned, flashing his friend a smile before returning his attention to the witch he'd been chatting with and saying his goodbyes.

"What are you doing down here?" Scorpius replied. "I'm sure I could have found you in the crowds."

"I've come to escort you to the official Tornadoes box," Alex explained.

"The official box?" Scorpius frowned. "Why am I going to the official box? No-one mentioned this to me."

"We got an invite from the owner," Alex replied with a shrug. "It seems he's an old friend of your mothers. She was all excited to see him again."

"Are you telling me my new boss is an old friend of my mothers?" Scorpius questioned, quickly recalling tales of his mother's youth and trying to work out which friend she would be excited to see. "Holy crap, it's not Harry Potter, is it?"

"Hell if I know, I didn't catch his name," Alex returned with another shrug. "I was too busy watching those cheerleaders. Did you catch their act before the game? It was very hot."

"I didn't catch the cheerleaders," Scorpius replied.

Although he had seen them in practice and knew what his friend meant. The act all took place on brooms up in the air, and the girls who took part were all very good looking. No doubt it was considered sexist by some people, but in Scorpius's opinion the girls were all amazing athletes and they were all doing something they loved. Besides, wizards were free to join the cheerleading squads and a few teams did actually have wizards as cheerleaders.

"Cone on, let's go and meet the boss," Alex urged his friend.

"Sod it, I was hoping to mingle," Scorpius muttered, following after Alex even as his eyes darted from side to side the second they entered a more public area.

"What are you looking for? Or should I say who?" Alex asked with a sly grin. "Let's guess, your sexy older woman."

Scorpius hadn't been able to resist telling Alex about his liaison with Ginny. He'd took great pleasure is boasting to his friend how he'd spent an afternoon in bed with the sexiest, most adventurous witch he'd ever met. However, he had refrained from revealing the identity of his mystery lover, even though he knew her name would mean nothing to his best friend.

"I thought I might have seen her today," Scorpius admitted. "She did say our paths would cross again, and I was hoping it would be sooner rather than later."

"Maybe next time," Alex suggested sympathetically. "Right now, you're expected by the boss. Not to mention your Mum."

"Did she enjoy the game?" Scorpius asked, aware that his mother wasn't a big quidditch fan.

"Put it this way, when you scored your first goal she screamed so loud Lucius dropped his glass of fire-whisky in shock," Alex chuckled.

"No way," Scorpius laughed with a shake of his head. He doubted much could shock his grandfather, and he certainly couldn't picture him dropping his glass because of a scream.

"Fine, I dropped my glass," Alex admitted with a roll of his eyes. "But she took me by surprise. I just thought it would be funnier if Lucius had dropped it."

"Let's guess, Grandpa didn't even bat an eye at the scream," Scorpius predicted.

"No, he sat as calm as you like with a proud smirk on his face," Alex replied. "That man is ice-cool."

"He is rather impressive," Scorpius agreed with a grin.

A few minutes later they reached the official box belonging to The Tornadoes, and one of the team who worked at the stadium opened the doors for them to enter. When they entered the box, they found a good crowd had gathered, including Scorpius's coach, Oliver Wood. Oliver gave Scorpius a grin and a wave before turning his attention back to the couple he was talking with – a tall, handsome red-headed man with a missing ear and a stunning dark haired witch with a dazzling smile.

Looking around the room, Scorpius spotted his father, Lucius and Blaise sharing a drink. Following his father's eyeline, he finally found his mother standing close to a raven haired wizard wearing round glasses. Hermione's hand was clasped with the dark haired man's, and even at a distance Scorpius could see the beam of joy on his mother's face.

"That looks like the boss, go and say hello," Alex whispered in Scorpius's ear, having also spotted Hermione.

"You're coming with me." Grabbing onto Alex's arm, Scorpius dragged his friend across the box towards his mother and her friend.

Hermione spotted them coming before Harry, and she broke away from her old friend to embrace her son, which was when Scorpius could see she'd been crying.

"I'm so proud of you," she announced. "You were amazing."

"Thanks," Scorpius replied. "Are you okay Mum? You've been crying."

"They were happy tears," Hermione assured her son.

"Very happy tears," the wizard standing next to her added with a grin as he turned to Scorpius. "Well played today, Scorpius. It looks like I've made a good acquisition to my team."

"I'm pleased you think so Mr Potter," Scorpius said politely as he shook hands with the older wizard.

"Harry, please," Harry chuckled. "I know technically I'm your boss, but first and foremost I'm your mother's friend. You never know, if things had been different, I might have known you for longer."

"That would have been nice," Hermione said with a wistful smile. She was thrilled that the reunion with Harry had gone well, and already it was as though no time had passed and they were still the best of friends.

"Let's not dwell on the past," Harry said firmly. "You had your reasons for leaving, and we both had our reasons to let contact dry up. But we're back together now, and no reason why we can't be friends again."

"No reason at all," Hermione said, smiling at Harry.

"I should introduce you to the rest of the family, Scorpius," Harry said. "I've got a son your age, and a younger one who was impressed with what he saw today. And you've certainly got a fan in Lily. Not to mention my wife, but you've met her already haven't you."

"I have?" Scorpius frowned in confusion, but Harry wasn't listening as he'd turned around to grab the attention of a woman behind him. It was only when Harry moved slightly and he got a glimpse of the woman he was talking to that Scorpius saw her soft red hair.

"Honey, come and tell Scorpius how good he was today," Harry said, turning back around with his wife at his side.

Scorpius was speechless as he came face to face with Ginny, but to give her credit, she didn't seem at all shocked to see him. But then again, Scorpius was just realising that she'd known who he was all along, whereas he was the one getting the shock. Ginny had known he'd just signed for her husband's team when she'd slept with him, so she must have been prepared for them coming face to face. However, Scorpius hadn't known that he'd taken the bosses wife to bed.

"You really were amazing," Ginny purred, amazing Scorpius by how innocent she was appearing. "I did tell you that you were going to be a star."

"I recall," Scorpius replied, surprising himself by the fact his voice was level and didn't betray how shocked he was to be facing his lover while her husband was standing right beside her.

"I'm always right about these things," Ginny declared. "I know talent when I see it."

"And you are certainly talented, Scorpius," Harry agreed with a nod. "It's a pleasure to have you onboard."

"It's a pleasure to be here," Scorpius replied with a brittle smile. "I'll leave you to catch up with Mum, I just want to check in with the rest of the family."

Grabbing hold of Alex, who had been silently watching the entire conversation, Scorpius didn't bother to find any of the family as he dragged his best friend outside. Not that Hermione noticed as she was once again wrapped up in talking to Harry, and Ginny seemed to have slipped away from the pair.

"What was all that about?" Alex demanded once they were free from the box and around the corner from there the wizard standing on duty outside of the room was located. "It's a good job your Mum was distracted, or else she would have noticed your weird behaviour."

"It's her," Scorpius hissed in a low voice.

"Who her?" Alex questioned.

"Her," Scorpius spat. "My older woman. It's Ginny."

"You shagged the bosses wife?" Alex spluttered loudly.

"Shut up," Scorpius muttered, checking that no-one was close enough to hear.

"Bloody hell, Scorp, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking she's hot and coming onto me, so why the hell not," Scorpius replied as he paced up and down, running his fingers through his short blond hair. "I didn't know she was married, and certainly not to my bloody boss. She introduced herself as Weasley, and she wasn't wearing any rings. Damn it, Alex, what am I going to do?"

As Scorpius slumped down onto the floor, Alex tried to think of something to say, but came up with nothing. He had no idea how to help, and he certainly didn't have any advice that would make the situation any less complicated. From where he was standing, Scorpius was screwed and his only option was to keep quiet and pray that no-one ever found out about his dalliance with Ginny.

"I say keep quiet and forget it ever happened," he finally advised his friend.

"But what if I can't forget it?" Scorpius asked, looking up at Alex. "What if I can't forget the best sex of my life?"

"You have to," Alex insisted. "It doesn't matter how good the sex was, it can't happen again. She's married to your boss, Scorp. Your boss who also happens to be friends with your mother."

"What the hell?" a stunned voice remarked and both Scorpius and Alex turned to find Draco standing at the corner, looking as though he couldn't believe his ears. "I came to find you both. But what is this about sex with Ginny?"

"It's a long story," Scorpius muttered. "But suffice to say, I didn't know who she was."

"I want to know what's going on," Draco demanded. "Now," he barked when both his son and godson remained quiet.

"It was that interview she did when I was visiting London," Scorpius explained as he got back to his feet. "We were flirting almost straight away, and once we were done with the interview, we ended up in bed."

"And it didn't bother you that she was a married woman?" Draco asked, his disappointment clear for both Scorpius and Alex to hear.

"I didn't know," Scorpius protested. "She wasn't wearing a wedding ring, I checked. And she made no mention of a husband."

"Didn't the name Potter give it away?" Draco snapped. "Surely you know enough about your mother's past to know Potter was an only child, so any other Potter was likely his wife."

"She used the name Weasley," Scorpius muttered. "And I know, I've heard it before. But I didn't put the pieces together at the time. She's the sister of Mum's ex, isn't she?"

"She is," Draco confirmed with a nod. "Damn it, Scorp. Do you have any idea how bad this could be? You could have blown your career before it's even gotten going."

"Not if he keeps quiet," Alex suggested. "The only other person who knows about this is Ginny herself, and she's not going to tell anyone. It hardly looks good for her, going around seducing teenage boys who work for her husband."

"I guess we could keep quiet," Draco conceded with a nod. "But you have to stay away from her, Scorpius. This can never happen again. Promise me."

"I promise," Scorpius said quietly, even though he'd already decided there would be no repeat of his liaison with Ginny now he knew she was a married woman.

"Then that's the end of it," Draco announced. "Now come and get back before we're missed."

Taking hold of Alex and Scorpius, he steered them around the corner back towards the Tornadoes box. However, the trio stopped dead in their tracks when they came face to face with a stony faced Harry, a horrified looking Hermione and a teary eyed young witch who was clearly Harry's daughter, Lily.


	5. Chapter 5

It had taken less than five minutes for Harry and Hermione to reconnect and to vow to never lose touch again when they came face to face for the first time in years. Hermione hadn't expected the reunion to run so smoothly, but as Harry pointed out, it wasn't as if they'd ever fallen out. They'd parted as friends, so there was no reason why they couldn't pick up their friendship where they left off.

Even Ginny was agreeable to the idea of a fresh start and Hermione was relieved that Harry's wife held no resentment towards her because of her failed relationship with Ron. In fact, Ginny told her that she never thought her and Ron were well suited and she didn't blame anyone for the break-up. She even reassured her that Ron had well and truly moved on with his life and would be happy to know that Hermione had found happiness elsewhere.

All in all everything was going swimmingly between the pair, and there hadn't even been any tension between Harry and her family. He and Draco had shaken hands politely and greeted each other in a civil way, and the same had happened with Lucius and Narcissa. And the brief conversation with Scorpius had seemed to go perfectly fine. In fact everything was great until Lily suddenly appeared at her father's side, insisting that there was something going on outside.

Hermione accompanied Harry to see what had gotten Lily so worked up, and she was gobsmacked to hear the tail-end of a conversation that revealed her son had slept with Harry's wife. She was still trying to take in what she'd heard when Scorpius and Alex were steered around the corner by her husband, who instantly came to a standstill when he saw they had company.

"Shit," Alex swore softly.

"You've got all the eloquence of your father, kid," Draco muttered to his godson.

"Alex, go and ask your parents and Draco's to take Cassie home," Hermione ordered as she found her voice.

"You do the same, Lil," Harry whispered quietly to his daughter. "Get James to take you and Albus home."

"But Dad," Lily protested.

"No buts," Harry interrupted sternly. "Go home with your brothers. Now."

Throwing Scorpius a murderous glare, Lily turned and fled back into the Tornadoes box. Calling for the employee, who was standing far enough away to not have heard what was going on, Harry ordered him to make sure everyone but his wife vacated the box as soon as possible.

"It's a family emergency," he muttered in explanation.

"Mr Potter, I can explain," Scorpius began, taking a step towards the older wizard.

"No," Harry spat, glaring at Scorpius so angrily that the blond wizard took a step back.

"Not yet, Scorp," Draco whispered to his son.

"I'm so sorry, Harry," Hermione apologised, even though she doubted her words would make any difference to the horrid way Harry must surely be feeling.

"Don't." Jerking away from Hermione as though he'd been burned by her presence, Harry stalked towards the box to check if it was empty.

Feeling the tears pooling in her eyes, Hermione turned to face her son. While she was mad as hell at him, and had never been more disappointed in him, she knew he wasn't totally to blame for the situation. In fact from what she'd heard, she suspected her son hadn't even realised that Ginny was married. Although a bit of thinking on his part would have solved that problem, but it was clear her son hadn't been using his brain the day he'd met Ginny. Or at least not the one in his head. Like most teenagers he'd let his penis do the thinking for him.

"Don't be too hard on him," Draco urged her quietly.

"Why? Because it's perfectly okay to sleep with a married woman if you don't say anything?" Hermione spat, glaring at her husband and taking her anger out on him because it was the easiest option.

"You know I would never advocate cheating," Draco defended, sounding hurt that Hermione would even imply that he was okay with what had happened between Scorpius and Ginny. "I was just trying to make the best of a bad situation. I didn't see the point in making it public and causing hurt. It's done and it can't be changed."

"No, but Harry can know the truth," Hermione retorted. "He deserves that."

"He does," Draco conceded. "But it won't stop there. This can't be acknowledged and swept under the carpet, there will be consequences."

"Which people will have to live with," Hermione said sharply, giving her son a stern look before turning her back on him and seeing if Harry was ready for them.

"It's empty," Harry said with no emotion as he turned and prepared to face his wife.

"Harry, what is going on?" Ginny demanded as Harry entered the box, Hermione right behind him. However, when Scorpius and Draco entered the room and Scorpius gave her an apologetic glance, any more questions had dried up. "No, no, no," she muttered, collapsing onto a nearby chair.

"Surely you expected this," Harry scoffed. "You can't possibly have thought you could get away with sleeping with someone I employ and I would never find out."

"I'm sorry Harry," Ginny whispered. "I never meant to hurt you."

"Well you bloody well have," Harry yelled. "How do you think I feel knowing you prefer some teenager to me? And not just any teenager, one I've just bloody employed. Talk about hitting me where it hurts, Gin."

"Sorry," Ginny repeated quietly.

"Stop saying that," Harry stormed. "All I want to know is why? What is so bad about me that you have to go and get your kicks with a boy?"

"Can we do this in private, Harry?" Ginny asked, glancing over to the Malfoys, who were still in the room.

"Why? I've got no secrets," Harry snorted. "And you've certainly got no secrets from Scorpius. Apart from the fact you're married. You didn't tell him that, did you?"

"I figured he knew," Ginny admitted with a shrug, looking towards Scorpius. "I didn't know who your mother was, but I did know who your father was and I thought you would know who I was. I thought you knew I was married."

"I didn't," Scorpius muttered. "And I certainly didn't know who you were married to. If I'd known, I never would have done it."

"Really?" Ginny scoffed. "It would have stopped you? I don't think anything would have stopped us, Scorpius."

"Yes, it would have," Scorpius insisted firmly, rather perturbed by Ginny's lack of remorse over what they'd done. But then again, she'd been aware of all the facts when they'd slept together, while he hadn't. "It doesn't matter how much I'd wanted you, if I'd known you were married, I would have said no."

"I doubt it," Ginny retorted confidently.

"Just because you can't control yourself, doesn't mean other people can't," Harry sneered to his wife. "Come on Ginny, you're a bloody grown woman. Surely by now you know how to keep your knickers on."

"I've certainly had enough practice with you," Ginny shot back, the claws coming out as she defended herself. "You asked why I was with Scorpius, so I'll tell you. I was with him because he made me feel wanted, he made me feel beautiful."

"And I don't?" Harry asked sadly. "I adore you and the kids, Ginny."

"I know, and I feel the same," Ginny admitted with a sigh. "But you have to admit our sex life is dead. It's been lacking since just after Lily was born."

"I know we went through a rough patch back then," Harry conceded with an embarrassed wince. He was now wondering if they shouldn't have been doing this alone after all, but he still wanted to have it out with Scorpius. "But we had three young kids and I had a demanding job. We didn't have time for each other back then."

"Back then, it's still going on," Ginny insisted scathingly. "When was the last time we had sex?"

"I don't know, I don't keep track," Harry muttered, his embarrassment kicking up another notch.

"It was six months ago," Ginny replied without having to think. "And it was just a quickie because it was our anniversary. When was the last time we spent all day in bed, Harry? When was the last time you surprised me and we went at it on the kitchen table?"

As Ginny continued to list all the ways the spark had gone out of her relationship with Harry, Hermione and Draco shared a look. At least they didn't have that problem. Ironically all the things Ginny was listing were all things Draco and Hermione had done within the last few months. Even when they fell out, at least the spark was always there in their marriage.

"We've got kids, Ginny," Harry interrupted in annoyance, not at all happy that she was airing their dirty laundry in public. "We don't have time for such things."

"We have plenty of time," Ginny protested. "The kids aren't little any more, Harry. Up until a few months ago, when James graduated, they were all at Hogwarts for most of the year. We had plenty of time to devote to our sex life."

"There's more to life than sex," Harry yelled.

"There is if you're getting some now and again," Ginny yelled back. "I never planned it, Harry. But there was a spark between myself and Scorpius when we met. I couldn't help myself."

"Oh well in that case, I forgive you," Harry retorted scathingly.

"I've said I'm sorry, what more can I do?" Ginny demanded.

"Mean it," Harry replied quietly. "You keep saying sorry, Ginny, but you don't mean it. You don't regret it, do you?"

Ginny opened her mouth to say of course she regretted it, but her eye caught on Scorpius before she could get the words out, and they stuck in her throat. Even now, when her life was falling down around her, she was still attracted to the blond wizard and she could still recall every scintillating hour they'd spent together. How could she say she regretted the best afternoon she'd had in a long time? And how could she possibly regret the best sex of her life?

"See," Harry whispered, sounding as though he was fighting back the tears. "You're not sorry. And I don't know if I can forgive you if you're not sorry."

"What are you saying Harry?" Ginny asked warily. "I'm your wife. The mother of your children. We're a family."

"We are," Harry agreed with a sigh. "But sometimes even families don't work out. I don't want to make any decision while it's still so raw, but I do need some time. If you care for me at all Ginny, don't fight me on this. Just go and stay at your mothers for a while."

For a moment, Ginny looked as though she was going to argue, but then she nodded her head and turned away from her husband. Catching Hermione's eye, she took a step towards her old friend.

"Hermione, I'm sorry," she began.

"Don't," Hermione hissed, the venom in her voice stopping Ginny in her tracks. "Come any closer and I'm likely to scratch your eyes out."

"I didn't know who he was," Ginny whispered quietly. "I didn't know he was your son."

"Do you really think that matters?" Hermione scoffed. "You knew he had just left school and was still only a child. You knew you were old enough to be his mother. You knew you were married, and you bloody well knew Harry had just employed him. Did you stop to think for one minute about the position you were putting Scorpius in?"

"Honestly no," Ginny admitted. "I wanted him, and he wanted me. And for the record, Hermione, your son is not a child. He's an adult and he knows his own mind."

"And would you be saying the same thing if some witch twice James's age seduced him?" Hermione snapped. "You make me sick, Ginny. I'm not saying Scorpius is innocent, but he didn't have all the facts. You knew the situation and you still went after him."

"You can't judge me, you don't know what it was like," Ginny retorted.

"And I never will," Hermione replied. "I love and respect my husband far too much to betray him in such a way. I'm just sorry that Harry doesn't have a wife that feels that way. He deserves so much better, Ginny."

Feeling totally chastised, Ginny turned once again to leave. However, before she could leave the room, Draco stopped her.

"I just have one question," he called, causing her to pause in the doorway. "Is this something you make a habit of, or did you seduce Scorpius because he's a Malfoy?"

"Please say that isn't the case, Ginny," Harry begged, recalling his wife's remarks about the Malfoys being attractive.

"I didn't seduce anyone," Ginny protested, avoiding the question Draco had thrown at her. "What happened was entirely mutual. We both wanted it as much as each other."

"You know what, I've heard enough," Harry snapped. "Just get out of my sight, Ginny."

Not wanting to stay and get asked any more awkward questions, Ginny turned and fled from the room, well aware that her life was in tatters and she didn't know if she would be able to salvage it.

With Ginny gone, an awkward silence hovered over the room. Several time Harry opened his mouth as though he was going to speak, but no words came out. Seeing the struggle Harry was having, and understanding why it was so difficult for him to articulate what he was feeling, Draco nudged his son, indicating that it might be best for Scorpius to kick things off.

"I am really sorry," Scorpius began quietly, taking his cue from Draco and offering his apologies to Harry. "I know I should have been smarter and put the dots together, but I wasn't exactly using my brain. I was flattered that an older, attractive woman was interested in me. I didn't think about who she might be."

"I heard enough to know you didn't know she was married," Harry sighed, not having the energy to be mad at Scorpius.

"I didn't, but it's still no excuse," Scorpius said. "I shouldn't have slept with her, it was unprofessional."

"You were being a teenager," Harry sighed. "I can't imagine many eighteen year olds who would turn down a bit of action with an experienced woman."

"I'm still sorry," Scorpius said softly.

"And that I believe," Harry replied.

"So what happens now?" Hermione asked. She didn't want to push things, but her son's future was still at stake.

"Part of me wants to tell Scorpius to leave," Harry admitted. "But questions will be asked if I do that. Plus it will likely affect his career, and he could have a good one in front of him. I don't want to ruin his life. I say we leave things as they are, as I don't have a lot to do with the day to day running of the team and we can avoid each other most of the time. However, I'm warning you now that the first decent offer I get for you, and if you keep playing the way you did today, they'll be coming soon, I will be taking it. You can move on and have a career."

"That is very generous of you, Potter," Draco remarked with a low whistle. "If some jumped up kid slept with my wife, I would have his balls as Christmas tree decorations."

"Don't think I'm not tempted," Harry said with the hint of a smile. "But I know that as a father if someone hurt my son in that way, for whatever reason, I would be after them and I don't want to start a feud with your family, Malfoy."

"True, I wouldn't be able to let it go if you hurt my son," Draco conceded.

"And for the record, I don't think you ever need worry about Hermione running off with a hot teenager," Harry said. "She clearly loves you."

"Yeah, her hot old man," Hermione joked.

"Less of the old," Draco scolded.

Harry couldn't help but smile at the interaction between his friend and her husband, but the moment was short lived. His wife's betrayal wasn't just going to go away, and he knew it would be a long time before he got over what Ginny had done – if he ever did.

"I think it's time I went home," Harry said. "It's business as normal tomorrow, Scorpius. And I hope I don't have to ask you to keep this quiet."

"I won't breath a word," Scorpius vowed. "And thank you for not sacking me. I appreciate you giving me a chance."

"You don't deserve to have your career ruined by one mistake," Harry said. "Just be more careful who you invite into your bed next time, Scorpius."

"I will do," Scorpius replied with a nod.

"Night Hermione," Harry said, giving his friend a hug and a kiss. "Maybe we can meet up before you go home."

"I'd like that," Hermione said with a smile, even though she wasn't sure if things would ever be the same again between them. After all, how was Harry ever supposed to forget that her son had slept with his wife and possibly ruined his marriage?


	6. Chapter 6

**One Year Later.**

As Hermione hurried along the streets of Wizarding Paris, running slightly late to meet Harry, she had to wonder if her meeting with her old friend would be their last. Unsurprisingly, things had not ran smoothly following their reunion a year ago. They'd managed less than an hour of delight at being reunited before events had overtaken them and everything had changed forever. And sadly that one evening of revelations hadn't been the end of the story.

For all everyone involved had been eager to keep quiet about what had happened, they'd all overlooked one vital thing. Someone else knew what had happened, or rather they knew enough for questions to be asked. No-one had thought to ask Lily to keep quiet, and by the time Harry had returned home, both her brothers had known some of what was going on. And of course questions were also asked by the family when Ginny temporarily moved out of the family home and returned to her parents house.

Within a couple of days the entire Weasley family knew the story of Ginny's fling with Scorpius. Logically, they should all have been eager to keep the incident under wraps, but no-one had accounted for Ron's hot temper, and no-one had predicted him unexpectedly bumping into Scorpius in the middle of Diagon Alley. Ron being Ron hadn't been able to stay quiet when he'd ran into Scorpius and he'd very publicly made a scene, accusing the young wizard of destroying his sister's marriage.

Of course once Ron had made the accusations in public and brought up Scorpius and Ginny's liaison, the press were on the story in a nanosecond. Scorpius had found himself engulfed by press speculation, and he'd suffered far worse harassment than either of his parents had ever faced. Not that he was the only one who suffered as Harry and Ginny were chased after in the same fashion and for months anything either of the trio did, no matter how small and mundane, made the papers.

In an effort to support their son both Draco and Hermione visited England more than ever, and of course it was inevitable that it came out that Hermione was Scorpius's mother. As it was the press had loved the fact a Malfoy had potentially ruined Harry's marriage, but they loved it even more when they learnt of Hermione's connection. In fact more than once it was rumoured that Hermione had orchestrated the entire seduction by her son in order to pay back Harry and Ginny for not supporting her after she'd split with Ron. Of course the whole thing was ludicrous, but that didn't stop the papers making their implications and ensuring that they kept up the public's appetite for scandal.

Given the way things had happened, it had been inevitable that Scorpius had been painted as the villain of the piece, and with the press unwilling to leave him alone, he'd asked to leave The Tornadoes before the halfway point of the season. Hermione wouldn't have blamed Harry for instantly granting Scorpius's wish and getting rid of her son, but instead her friend had shown what a decent human being he was and he'd persuaded Scorpius to stick around until he could find him a new club to sign for. And true to his word, Harry made a deal with a French club and less than a year after leaving to go and live in England, Scorpius was back home with his tail between his legs.

As for Harry and Ginny, they had tried to patch things up. Harry had so desperately wanted to make things work for their children, but it wasn't to be. At the end of the day he'd been unable to trust her again. He also couldn't get over the fact she didn't regret her fling with Scorpius, and it had made him question whether it was the first time she'd strayed. As it turned out, she admitted to a couple of other one night stands, and even though she was adamant that they meant nothing and it was just sex, as with Scorpius, Harry didn't believe she regretted them. With the trust between them broken, Harry had ended his marriage with a heavy heart.

While all this had been going on, Harry and Hermione had tried to stay in touch, but it hadn't been easy. Every time she saw Harry, Hermione was acutely aware that her son was partly responsible for the state his life was in and the pain he was suffering, and she strongly suspected he couldn't look at her without seeing Scorpius and being reminded that she'd given birth to the wizard who had been the catalyst that had ended his marriage. It was certainly an awkward situation, but neither of them had wanted to be the one to admit that it would be easier if they never saw one another again.

However, Hermione knew that things would never be the same between them again, and she knew that sooner or later one of them would crack and announce that it was the end. But it hadn't happened yet, and Hermione wasn't sure if she was ready to be the one to break their connection and end their friendship again. Although, if Harry beat her to it, she did know that she cared enough about him to accept his decision and she wouldn't cause him any more upset if he had made the choice to terminate their friendship.

As she entered the cafe where she was meeting Harry, and spotted her old friend sitting beside the window watching the Parisians going about their business, Hermione realised that she wasn't ready to say goodbye. At least not today.

"Sorry I'm late," she apologised, joining Harry, who gave her a genuine smile when he spotted her approaching. "It has been one hell of a day. A fabric delivery was completely wrong, Cassie has got the flu and Draco's pulled a muscle in his back."

"And yet you still got away," Harry chuckled as Hermione ordered her drink using the menu which was embedded with magic and delivered straight to the table.

"It was either that or murder," Hermione replied. "I love Cassie to pieces, but she's her father's daughter when she's ill. She never stops complaining. And as for Draco, I'm about ready to throttle him. The healer said to rest, so he's taken it to mean he can't get out of bed unless he has to use the bathroom."

"What did he do to his back?" Harry questioned.

"Injured it in bed," Hermione answered innocently.

"Say no more," Harry interrupted with a slight smirk. "I don't want the details."

"That's probably for the best," Hermione agreed. The last thing she wanted was to rub Harry's face in it that she still had a healthy sex life with her husband, while he was about to divorce his wife partly down to the fact their sex life had shuddered to a halt. "So how are things with you?"

"Getting there," Harry answered with a slight sigh. "At least the divorce will be amicable."

"So Ginny's accepted it?" Hermione checked.

The last time she'd spoken to Harry, Ginny was adamant that they could get their marriage back on track, all they had to do was reignite their sex life. She hadn't been ready to admit that without trust, there was no marriage to save in Harry's eyes.

"She has," Harry confirmed. "We've also agreed that she can stay on at the house until Lily has finished school. But once all the kids had flown the nest, we're going to sell the place and split the money between the children."

"And how are the kids dealing with it all?"

"It's hard for them, especially knowing what prompted the divorce," Harry admitted. "The boys seem to be coping better. It's Lily I'm worried about. she's so quiet and withdrawn. I think she blames herself for coming to get me. I've told her dozens of time that it's not her fault, but I don't think she believes me."

"Have you thought about getting her some therapy?" Hermione suggested as she sipped her coffee. "It can be really useful."

"You've had therapy?" Harry asked in surprise.

"I started seeing a therapist shortly after I arrived in France," Hermione explained. "I always thought I'd dealt with the war and it's outcome pretty well, but once I was alone in a foreign country it really began to hit me what I went through and I had a few panic attacks. The therapy really helped. It actually helped talking to someone who didn't experience the same thing, and didn't think of it as normal."

"How long did you have therapy for?" Harry asked, hoping he wasn't prying.

"A few years," Hermione replied. "But it doesn't have to be a long term thing. Lily might only need a few sessions. She might just need someone neutral to assure her that none of this is her fault. As I said, sometimes it helps to talk to a stranger."

"So does that mean you and Malfoy don't talk about the past?" Harry wondered.

"We do," Hermione answered with a nod. "In fact, we actually re-met at the therapist's office. It turned out, Draco was also seeing the same therapist. We have actually discussed the war in vivid detail, but like me, Draco felt the benefit of talking to someone who wasn't there and wasn't part of the war."

"I think I'll look into finding a therapist," Harry decided. "It can't hurt, can it?"

"I can't see why not," Hermione replied. "Ginny won't be a problem, will she?"

"If she is, I can threaten her with you," Harry laughed.

Hermione shook her head at Harry's implication, but she couldn't help but chuckling as well. When everything had first came out about Ginny and Scorpius, Hermione had been too shocked to really process what had happened, and their brief encounter in the direct aftermath of the revelations had been their only contact. But that hadn't meant her anger had abated, and the more she'd thought about the situation, the angrier she had become at the entire situation and the fact Ginny had used her son for her own sexual gratification without ever thinking about how their liaison would affect Scorpius.

Hermione's simmering anger towards Ginny had actually lain dormant for months, until one time she'd been in England supporting her son and had ran into Ginny at the shops for the first time since they'd last had words. When Ginny had the audacity to ask after Scorpius, Hermione had lost it and subjected the redhead to a torrent of abuse. She had not held back in the slightest, and even the people round about has edged away from Hermione and her anger. She didn't physically touch Ginny, but she did warn her that she would seriously hurt her if she went anywhere near her son again. A threat that everyone, including Ginny, knew she meant and was more than capable of carrying out.

"I still can't believe I said half of what I did," Hermione admitted, even though part of what she said pretty much echoed the words she'd said to Ginny when she'd first found out about her and Scorpius.

"I'm sure everything you said, she deserved," Harry shrugged.

"Maybe, but it still wasn't nice," Hermione replied.

"Her sleeping with your son wasn't nice," Harry retorted. "And speaking of Scorpius. How is he? Is he getting along at his new club okay?"

"He's doing really well," Hermione answered with a smile. "Of course there were a few rumours when he first joined, but luckily the French press aren't as interested in domestic squabbles. Or at least not ones that involve people they don't know."

"But his quidditch is going well?" Harry checked.

"It seems to be," Hermione replied. "Thanks to you."

"I didn't do anything," Harry protested modestly.

"Yes, you did," Hermione insisted. "Most people in your position would have sacked Scorpius there and then when it all came out. You didn't have to keep him on, and you certainly didn't have to find him a new club."

"He didn't deserve to have his entire career ruined because of one indiscretion," Harry argued. "I honestly believe that if Scorpius had known who Ginny was, he never would have slept with her. Ginny was the one at fault, not Scorpius, and he didn't deserve to pay for her choices with his career."

"Even so, we all appreciate what you did for him," Hermione said. "It can't have been easy helping him after what happened."

"It was easier because he's your son," Harry admitted. "And I can't help but think that if we'd both been a bit braver and bit more willing to push through some awkwardness, I would have already known him. We were foolish to let your break-up with Ron affect our friendship. Which is why, I'm determined not to let this mess affect it either. I'm not saying it's always going to be easy, but I don't want to lose you again, Hermione. I've lost too much this year, without losing you as well."

"I'm here for as long as you want me," Hermione promised Harry with a smile as she began to believe that things could work out and that maybe going their separate ways again wasn't their destiny. Maybe, their destiny was to stick together this time and to be friends until the bitter end.

**The End.**

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**A/N – Thank you all for reading this story (and not prejudging it like some people did) and I hope you all enjoyed it. **

**At the beginning of the story I promised news on my next long story to be published, and I can now confirm that my next longer piece will be the third part of Darkness. I haven't yet finished the story, but I have overcome the block I had with it and it's now only a few chapters away from being complete, so I'm happy to start publishing it. I think it will start publishing in a few weeks time, but I will put an alert on the second part so that people know when to look out for it. **

**Until then, thanks again for reading and leaving me your lovely reviews. I hope to see you all again soon.**


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